Where each one leads
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- Fewer Mercedes-Benz S-Class cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (8.2% against 25.6%).
Volvo 740
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Mercedes-Benz S-Class | Volvo 740 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1994–2012 | 1985–2002 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 136,729 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 22,797 | 601 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 8,416 | 1,607 |
| In traffic in Finland | 2,778 | 1,070 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Mercedes-Benz S-Class | Volvo 740 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 83% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +16% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.6% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −64% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 8.2% | 25.6% |
| US owner complaints | 271 | 175 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2000 (81) | 1990 (47) |
| US recall campaigns | 11 | 6 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 116 | 565 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 7 | 8 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Mercedes-Benz S-Class | Volvo 740 | |
|---|---|---|
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 8.8 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 11.9 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 8.2 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 15.6 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 165 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 290 kW (389 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 2,204 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €142,880 | €19,283 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 226,000 km | 346,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).